“Georgia Guidestones: 'America's Stonehenge' demolished after blast” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62073675
タイトルを見て、「ストーンヘンジ」*1って、北米にも巨石文化はあったのか？ それって日本列島で発見されたドルメンとも関係あるのか？ と一瞬思ってしまった。
実際のところ、ジョージア州エルバートン*2郊外に1980年に建てられた、高さ5.8米、重さ119トンの花崗岩のモニュメントが最近の「突風」のためにぐらついたので、安全上の理由で、現地時間の７月６日に爆破・解体された。「アメリカのストーンヘンジ」というのは俗称。”Georgia Guidestones”というのは正式名称か？ これを建てたのはRC Christianなのだが、記事によれば、これが個人なのか団体なのかもわからないという。
実際、オカルト・ファンや陰謀理論な人々をわくわくさせる仕掛けになっているようだ；
Shayan Sardarizadehさん（BBC）のコメント；
On each side of the capstone, engraved in four ancient languages - Babylonian cuneiform, Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Egyptian hieroglyphic - were the words: "Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason."And written in eight languages - English, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Classical Hebrew, Swahili, Hindi and Spanish - were cryptic instructions for rebuilding society post-Doomsday:
"Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature; Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity; Unite humanity with a living new language; Rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason; Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts; Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court; Avoid petty laws and useless officials; Balance personal rights with social duties; Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite; Be not a cancer on the Earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature."
The state tourist website ExploreGeorgia.org says the monument serves "as an astronomical calendar, and every day at noon the sun shines through a narrow hole in the structure and illuminates the day's date on an engraving".
The Georgia Guidestones have long been a focus for conspiracy theories. Some believe the monument to be "Satanic" and a "portal to hell".It has been linked to the "New World Order" theory, about a purported plot by global elites to rule mankind. In 2008, the monument was defaced with the slogan "death to the New World Order" in red paint.
Claims that the stones contained instructions on depopulating the earth have also circulated online. To support this idea, some have quoted the inscription etched on the stones: "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature."
The Covid pandemic and the global vaccination programme gave a new boost to these conspiracies. Kandis Taylor, a losing candidate in Georgia's Republican gubernatorial primary, pledged to destroy the stones as part of her campaign.
News of the monument's demolition has been cheered in some online circles. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said he enjoyed the bombing of the stones "at an animal level", but added he would like them to stand as an "evil edifice" exposing depopulation plans.
